Forever Christian

This guest post is contributed by Rachel King, who writes on the topic of Online Christian Universities. Rachel welcomes your comments at her email address: rachel.101king@gmail.com

Why God Answers Some Prayers and not Others

If you’ve ever heard yourself asking the questions, “Why God, why did it have to happen to me?” you have had your share of prayers gone unanswered. It’s not something that we can be proud of, but it is true that most of us think of God and turn to him only in times of trouble. And because we feel guilty about this fact, we tend to assume that God has ignored us because we seek him only when we are helpless and we fail to thank him and rejoice in his name when things go well for us. But the truth is that God is not petty or calculative; He is an all-forgiving and benevolent God. So when then do our prayers go unanswered? Because:

• He has better things in store for us: If you believe in the omnipotence of God, you must trust him completely. So when your prayers go unanswered, it may mean that He has bigger and better things planned for you. If He were to grant you your prayer, perhaps the better option would not be possible. I learned the value of this when I met my spouse; I was very depressed for the better part of six months when my high school sweetheart broke up with me after six years of being together. I thought I would never get over the pain and asked God every day why this had to happen to me. But when I met my husband and got to know and love him, I knew that God had been paving the way for him to come into my life. After three years of marital bliss and one newborn in our lives, I am grateful and more understanding of the ways the Lord works.
• He wants us to undergo certain tribulations: A trial by fire makes us stronger persons who are able to cope with all that life throws at us. God wants us to be independent and courageous people who are able to face trials and tribulations with a brave face and come out stronger than we were. I thought it was the end of my world when I suffered a knee injury that required me to have extensive surgery. It would take more than three months of intense rehabilitation for me to be able to walk without a limp, and if I wanted to get back to playing racquetball (which is a passion), my doctor said it would take more than a year of hard work and physical therapy. Today, 18 months down the line, I understand that God gave me the injury so that my legs could become stronger (all those hours in the gym made be a fitter and better player than before) and I could play the game better than I ever did.
• He knows that it is not the time to grant us what we ask: Sometimes it is the timing of our prayers that is wrong. So in essence, they are not unanswered, only deferred. God knows that it is not the right time to grant us what we ask for. So he makes us wait until the time is right. A friend of mine prayed that she would be able to secure a loan in order to buy a home and was very disappointed that her prayers went unanswered. But a few months later, hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the wiped out the entire location where she planned to buy a home. A year later, she was able to buy the home of her dreams, at a price that was affordable.

God works in mysterious ways, so don’t worry about prayers that go unanswered. Just continue to do what is right and pray and offer thanks to God for all that He has given us.